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It would be three or four months since I came across a short article about ‘food in the United States’; apparently almost 70 per cent of it is over processed.
I didn’t think about it great deal, not my problem, or yours.
Then, last Sunday, September 6, it was reading time, so I’d turned the sound down on the television and picked up my book.
But something caught my eye and my interest.
There were two packets of chips, same size, same price.
One had just three ingredients – potato, salt and oil.
The other had 27 ingredients including emulsifiers and a great deal of sugar.
I was hooked, and the Spotlight guy was interviewing Australian and US experts.
Our five-star system is apparently useless.
It gives stars for the positive ingredients, but doesn’t take away stars for the bad stuff.
The woman, whose job it is to keep our food safe and explain the star system, Dr Sandra Cuthbert, couldn’t explain anything much – especially why organic Australian pure honey (and one of the best honeys you’ll ever get) carried one star.
The system was designed by people in the industry and not one neutral person is involved.
One expert said our food was killing more people than cigarettes. (However, everybody eats — a much lower number smoke. That could account for the food numbers being higher).
But big tobacco was involved here; in 1993, when their profits were probably shrinking, they bought or created some food companies and worked to produce stuff that tasted very nice, and they succeeded in making some of it addictive.
Their ownership lasted until 2007 — and I don’t know what happened then; for some reason big tobacco no longer wanted their very sweet products (although they are still available).
So, at this point, I’m thinking, if we eat meat, eggs, vegetables and fruit, we’ll have safe food.
And what about porridge? I love porridge — surely it’s okay?
My packet has five-star rating. Well.
I know I’m not the smartest kid on the block, but I can’t understand what the packet is telling me.
What it says in ‘ingredients’ is ‘whole grain rolled oats — may contain wheat, rye, barley, milk, tree nuts, lupin’.
But then, the ‘nutrition information’ section includes sugars, sodium etc, which I thought should be listed as ingredients.
And last night (Tuesday) on the TV news, I hear that we are currently spending 25 per cent less on fruit and vegetables than we did last year.
That’s not good.
My friends, I don’t know what any of us have gained from this information, but it’s probably worth keeping in mind.
I’m feeling somewhat uneasy about some of the things in my pantry.
Several South American countries insist on warning labels for unsafe food — but not the US and not here.
One Aussie expert claimed that our star system is merely a marketing campaign.
If you buy potato chips for the kids, could I suggest ‘Kettle’ as the safest brand — just three ingredients.
The disappearing festivals?
Last week, just on deadline, I remembered yet another festival — early in the ’50s.
I suggested it might have been called “Peaches and Pears”, but I would have been in primary school at the time — and was just guessing.
Last week, I had a phone call from a delightful lady, who was confident the festival was “Peaches and Cream” (a title that seems particularly appropriate).
When I asked her what year it was, she replied “Don’t know — all I remember — it was a year when I didn’t have a baby”.
There were a few phone calls on top of one another, at this time, and I can’t read my own notes.
I think the lady’s name was Dot.
However, there was no resolution to the Highland Gathering puzzle.
Next week – Shane Sali
There are many reasons for me to have a coffee/chat with Shane — and I’ll tell you about them next week.
Take care — and may it be easy, my friends.
Marnie
Email: towntalk@sheppnews.com.au
Phone: Text or call 0409 317187